Gobi/Rigid Wiring questions

[WODWorldWide]

So I have been looking through [MENTION=68685]Ducmonsta[/MENTION] , [MENTION=78705]jangoforhire[/MENTION] , and [MENTION=65614]Antman[/MENTION] thread for wiring up some rigids but I have some additional questions for those of you who have done this.

What are the tools I will need beyond wire cutters? (Do I have to use a soldering gun or a will a wire connector work)

Where did you cut your Rigid wire harness, Before or after the waterproof disconnect?

I assume all of the wires run through the cabin of the 4runner through the firewall to my relays/fuses and then run the switch wire back through the firewall to my switches? or is there an easier way that I am not thinking of?

Lastly, I think it was Antman that has the 80amp fuse between the battery and relays, but is there a cheaper option than spending $80 on a fuse?

Thanks dudes and I'll have photos of everything after I am done this weekend. Just bought my baby some new shoes for Valentine's day this morning (GY Duratracs) so I am almost done with the mods.

 

[Ducmonsta]

First, we need to discuss where you're mounting the lights. Then, we can help you with wiring suggestions.

 

[WODWorldWide]

First, we need to discuss where you're mounting the lights. Then, we can help you with wiring suggestions.

Basically it's a carbon copy of Jang's front. Two 6" sr and a 20" sr mounting up front, running the wires in the Gobi and into the back. I have't completely decided if I want to drill through the XM yet like you.

That will run to a bussman fuse/relay box in the engine bay and then I'll have 2 OTRATTW switches, with a 3rd for when I do rear SRs mounted in the center by the cupholder.

 

[jangoforhire]

So I have been looking through [MENTION=68685]Ducmonsta[/MENTION] , [MENTION=78705]jangoforhire[/MENTION] , and [MENTION=65614]Antman[/MENTION] thread for wiring up some rigids but I have some additional questions for those of you who have done this.

What are the tools I will need beyond wire cutters? (Do I have to use a soldering gun or a will a wire connector work)

Where did you cut your Rigid wire harness, Before or after the waterproof disconnect?

I assume all of the wires run through the cabin of the 4runner through the firewall to my relays/fuses and then run the switch wire back through the firewall to my switches? or is there an easier way that I am not thinking of?

Lastly, I think it was Antman that has the 80amp fuse between the battery and relays, but is there a cheaper option than spending $80 on a fuse?

Thanks dudes and I'll have photos of everything after I am done this weekend. Just bought my baby some new shoes for Valentine's day this morning (GY Duratracs) so I am almost done with the mods.

For the Rigids, I cut the wires in between the relay, and the waterproof connector. Then I just extended the wires down to my own relay box. This allows you to keep the disconnect in case you ever need to replace or remote the light.

I did mine with lots of crimped connectors and heat shrink. Here's what I have in my toolbox for all my electrical installs:
This is the exact equipment that I have (I get everything from Amazon, Prime FTW).

Crimper - This ensures you get some great, professional connections before heat shrinking everything.
Heat Gun - You don't NEED this, but I heat shrink everything, and this makes the process almost fun. It's cheap, but is honestly an awesome gun and I've used it for years.
Heatshrink - I have a bunch of these boxes - it has all the sizes you would need!
Heatshrink butt connectors - These are awesome, you crimp your wires in the center to hold them initially, and then heat both ends. The ends are heat shrink with heat activated glue that shrink around the wires and glues itself in place. I have them in all different sizes.
Crimp Female Disconnect - I use these for all my OTRATTW switches as it's a perfect fit for the male spades on the back of the switches and allows me to build wire harnesses ahead of time so it's plug and play when I'm in the truck doing the install.

Do you need all of this stuff? No. But even the most difficult and annoying install can be made easy and fun with the right equipment! Good luck!

 

[WODWorldWide]

Thank you for that information [MENTION=78705]jangoforhire[/MENTION] I definitely will use your suggestion. I probably shouldn't say that I am an electrical engineer but I am. I just have never wired up lights to my car and trying to figure out what is best for waterproofing is what I needed. This helped a bunch.

I will tackle this tomorrow and see how far I can get.

 

[jangoforhire]

Thank you for that information [MENTION=78705]jangoforhire[/MENTION] I definitely will use your suggestion. I probably shouldn't say that I am an electrical engineer but I am. I just have never wired up lights to my car and trying to figure out what is best for waterproofing is what I needed. This helped a bunch.

I will tackle this tomorrow and see how far I can get.

Hahaha no worries, I always say if I didn't get into software engineering I would have liked to mess around with electrical engineering - I enjoy messing around with stuff like that too much! Let me know if you have any other questions!

PS. This is far from the only way to do it, a lot of people prefer soldering all their connections instead of crimping and heat shrink. While soldering definitely gives you a solid connection, I've found using good solderless connections with lots of heat shrinking works well too.

 

[Ducmonsta]

Basically it's a carbon copy of Jang's front. Two 6" sr and a 20" sr mounting up front, running the wires in the Gobi and into the back. I have't completely decided if I want to drill through the XM yet like you.

That will run to a bussman fuse/relay box in the engine bay and then I'll have 2 OTRATTW switches, with a 3rd for when I do rear SRs mounted in the center by the cupholder.

Looks like Jango's got you pretty much covered. My only advice is to run whatever wiring you want to run now. This includes the lights you have and then the ones you're going to install. You probably won't run into this situation, but the Gobi wiring is only 14-16ga? My SR 40 had no problem, but when I upgraded to the E, the last 10" of bar would not light up unless the truck was running. Not a big deal because there's no reason to light up 40" of LEDs when I'm sitting with the truck off. But still, it's one of those things.

The Gobi wiring that's in the rack only runs front to back. You have two sides (left and right). They are not connected. At least that's how mine came 3 years ago.

If you decide to go through the shark fin, prepare to lose your sat radio. There isn't much room for a bunch of wiring AND the antenna to fit cleanly. I've had sat radio before for 5 years and it was a waste of my money.

If I were to do it all again, I would buy the marine grade grommet that [MENTION=74569]SOcalTRAIL[/MENTION] is using? I think he's got the one where you drill a 1/2 hole or so and run wires directly through that.

 

[Gabex35]

You probably won't run into this situation, but the Gobi wiring is only 14-16ga? My SR 40 had no problem, but when I upgraded to the E, the last 10" of bar would not light up unless the truck was running. Not a big deal because there's no reason to light up 40" of LEDs when I'm sitting with the truck off. But still, it's one of those things.

Damn, i totally ran into this and should have asked on here about it.

I ended up running 10 guage wire to my 40' E Series through one of those bulkhead grommets SocalTrail uses and it works great now.

I agree that you should take the time to plan it out and do it righ the first time. I regret not taking my time..luckily it didnt cost me much more than time to do it a second time.

 

[noworyz]

I will be doing this same thing next week when my Gobi arrives. I ended up getting a Rigid E series 40" that I will be mounting on the front (yes, my Gobi was made for a 40") and I will be doing a couple Duallys on the back.

What other materials will I need? I have absolutely no experience with auto lighting. Do I need to buy some relays/fuses, new wiring, etc?

A list of materials/products would be greatly appreciated for this newb!

 

[WODWorldWide]

I will be doing this same thing next week when my Gobi arrives. I ended up getting a Rigid E series 40" that I will be mounting on the front (yes, my Gobi was made for a 40") and I will be doing a couple Duallys on the back.

What other materials will I need? I have absolutely no experience with auto lighting. Do I need to buy some relays/fuses, new wiring, etc?

A list of materials/products would be greatly appreciated for this newb!

Ducmonsta has some good photos of the other stuff you will need. I bought new switches (otrattw) for mine and a bussman fuse/relay box that already comes wired with fuses and relays so it's basically plug and play. Some wire for switches/running the length of the car (stranded). I am sure I am missing something but the 3 I mentioned above have really good information on all their wiring with diagrams.

 

[Antman]

Lastly, I think it was Antman that has the 80amp fuse between the battery and relays, but is there a cheaper option than spending $80 on a fuse?

Looks like the guys covered the basics pretty thoroughly! I'm late to this party, but...

Who said my 80A fuse was $80? You can get a similar one for less than 10 bucks. Mine was part of a free amp wiring package from Crutchfield.

Get some marine heat shrink, and some decent butt connectors. Use dielectric grease at all your connection points and you will have no problems with water or corrosion.

Buy some GOOD CRIMPERS! I use something like this. They actually press into the connector instead of smashing it. I've had mine for almost 20 years!......

?new Heavy Duty Wire Crimping Tool Terminal Crimper Cutting Quick Crimp Cutter ? | eBay

 

[WODWorldWide]

Thank you everyone for your help. Definitely feeling more confident before I start and It'll be nice to actually have everything before I start. I'll definitely try to document a little bit of it and maybe clear up some of the spots that I had questions about so others can easily do it as well. Being my first time i've wired lights up to the car, I'll just learn as I go.

 

[mikey's2010SR5]

Sorry I haven't got back to you with my schematic, life has kind of gotten in the way.

I agree with everyone in that you should run wires for what you have and what you are going to have. When I just redid my wiring that is what I did and now it will be a snap to add my roof bar and rock lights (half way done with the rock lights, just figuring where to put the front strip).

Oh an my suggestion is go longer then you think with the wire. It's easier to cut off the extra then add more.

Post up if you have any questions.

 

[WODWorldWide]

Sorry I haven't got back to you with my schematic, life has kind of gotten in the way.

I agree with everyone in that you should run wires for what you have and what you are going to have. When I just redid my wiring that is what I did and now it will be a snap to add my roof bar and rock lights (half way done with the rock lights, just figuring where to put the front strip).

Oh an my suggestion is go longer then you think with the wire. It's easier to cut off the extra then add more.

Post up if you have any questions.

No problem dude. I've kind if figured most of it out by looking but I'm finally getting to the point of actually doing it. Just tying up some lose ends before I start.

 

[Okki]

No problem dude. I've kind if figured most of it out by looking but I'm finally getting to the point of actually doing it. Just tying up some lose ends before I start.

There is a wiring schematic in my build thread. I'll add the specific link and image here when I'm not on my phone. In the mean time, just use the link in my signature and go through the index.

Okki

 

[WODWorldWide]

Thanks okki, I'm looking through your thread. When you did the add a circuit, does the switch light up all the time or just when the lights are on. I'd like to have mine light up when the lights are on. Any idea of the fuse # I need to add to (yes I know it's probably already on here somewhere but I'm asking if you know off the top of your head).
[MENTION=78705]jangoforhire[/MENTION] where did you ground your switches in be center console? I looked through your thread but didn't see anything specific. I have my center console apart and there are plenty of bolts but wondering if any are actually grounded or it you ran it back to the fuse box.

Everything is wired so far, just waiting on my bussmann which I accidentally missed on the mail yesterday. Also, gobi gave me e series mounts instead of sr so I have to run over there tomorrow if they are open. Thanks for your help guys.

 

[Okki]

Thanks okki, I'm looking through your thread. When you did the add a circuit, does the switch light up all the time or just when the lights are on. I'd like to have mine light up when the lights are on. Any idea of the fuse # I need to add to (yes I know it's probably already on here somewhere but I'm asking if you know off the top of your head).

Auxiliary Fuse Box

Switches are on when the rest of the dashboard lights are on.

The yellow line in the diagram is the one that controls the switches being illuminated. The "P/Out" is accessory switched, so the switches won't actually send power to the relay unless the truck is in accessory or running.

If you don't want it to work that way, you'll want to run power directly from the battery, but make sure you use an inline fuse on that.

Okki

 

[jangoforhire]

Thanks okki, I'm looking through your thread. When you did the add a circuit, does the switch light up all the time or just when the lights are on. I'd like to have mine light up when the lights are on. Any idea of the fuse # I need to add to (yes I know it's probably already on here somewhere but I'm asking if you know off the top of your head).

[MENTION=78705]jangoforhire[/MENTION] where did you ground your switches in be center console? I looked through your thread but didn't see anything specific. I have my center console apart and there are plenty of bolts but wondering if any are actually grounded or it you ran it back to the fuse box.

Everything is wired so far, just waiting on my bussmann which I accidentally missed on the mail yesterday. Also, gobi gave me e series mounts instead of sr so I have to run over there tomorrow if they are open. Thanks for your help guys.

I think I ran a ground over from a factory grounding point on the left side of the dash. I only did that because I was already running a bunch of wires over, so one more wasn't a big deal. Anywhere in the center console should work though. Just test it with a multimeter.

 

[noworyz]

[MENTION=102185]WODWorldWide[/MENTION] did you install switches like Okki? I just ordered my switches and switch panel and was wondering if you had any tips on cutting the dash panel on the 2014 4Runner. I don't want to mess that up haha

 

[WODWorldWide]

[MENTION=102185]WODWorldWide[/MENTION] did you install switches like Okki? I just ordered my switches and switch panel and was wondering if you had any tips on cutting the dash panel on the 2014 4Runner. I don't want to mess that up haha

I did the switches like Jangoforhire. It was easier for me if I pulled the cup holder grey piece out first and then worked the rest of the panel up. I used a plastic pry bar set I bought off of amazon for removing panel. Most valuable sets of tools I had.

Once I got the panel out. I traced out the switch panel and used the dremel to start cutting through. Just be careful, You can see a few parts where the attachment piece touched where I didn't want it to and scuffed it up. I'd use a razor to get the fine details after you get the main cut. After, I had to cut the bottom panel to fit the switches. You'll see what I mean when you take it apart. Last thing was to cut the plastic piece that is attached to your shifter that covers up the mechanics. I trimmed a little bit of that away.

I'd say my biggest tip would make sure you have everything you need before you start. It took me a lot longer than expected just because I didn't have the correct parts and had to run back and forth between home depot, radio shack and advanced to pick up the correct gauge wire and connectors. I just ordered some weatherpack connectors yesterday so I will redo some of the wiring this weekend but everything works currently.